The 2014 Australian Championship was held in Melbourne at the start of the year. Top seed was the invited Russian GM, Vasily Papin, one of four non-Australians allowed to enter. After an extremely close contest over the eleven rounds, Sydney International Master Max Illingworth emerged as the outright winner on 8/11. Illingworth's play was characterised by seeking unbalanced positions and a belief in his ability to outplay his opponents. This uncompromising approach suffered two setbacks in the early rounds, but enabled a run of 5½/6 to finish the tournament, including a win over Papin.
Today's game is Illingworth playing White against the defending champion, IM Bobby Cheng of Melbourne, from the eighth round of the Championship.
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bb5+ Nc6 6.Qe2+ Be7 7.dxc5
In this line of the French Defence Tarrasch, White plays to hold the pawn on c5 for a while, mainly to force Black to spend time recovering the pawn. 7... Nf6 8.Nb3 O-O 9.Be3 a6 10.Bxc6?!
This exchange only seems to strengthen Black's centre. 10. Ba4 retains the bishop pair, though Black gains active play in return for his pawn minus. 10... bxc6 11.Nf3 a5 12.O-O-O
Allowing Black to recover c5 easily, but trying to hold the pawn by 12.Nbd4 Qc7 13.Bg5 Ne4! 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 is futile, since 15.Nxc6? Qxc5 16 Nce5 Ba6 leads to serious problems. The possibility of 12.O-O? Ba6 enabled by the bishop exchange on move 10 forces the white king to the less desirable queenside. 12... a4 13.Nbd4 Qc7 14.Bg5 Bxc5 15.Bxf6 Qf4+ 16.Qd2 Qxf6 17.Qc3 Qd6 18.a3 Bg4 19.Rd2 Rfe8 20.h3 Bd7
Black's advantage of two bishops and a mobile pawn centre should eventually result in a powerful attack on the white king position, once the bishops sort themselves out. 21.Re1 Bb6 22.Rxe8+ Rxe8 23.Qd3 Re4?!
Black starts to drift, as the rook is not effective on the 4th rank. A powerful alternative was the multipurpose 23... Qf6! controlling f5, removing potential pins down the d-file and introducing the latent threat of … Bxh3 if the knight on f3 is left undefended. E.g. 24. Qa6 Bxd4 25. Rxd4 (25.Nxd4? Re1+ 26.Rd1 Qf4+) 25... Bxh3! 26.gxh3 Qxf3 with advantage, or 24.c3 c5 25.Nc2 Bc6 and the hanging pawns become very strong. White misses the best reply which is 24.Nb5! Qf6 (24... cxb5? 25.Qxe4!) 25.Nc3 utilising the d-file pin to reposition the knight on the key c3 square attacking a4, d5 and e4. 24.Qa6 Bc7
Allowing the knight maneouvre to c3 via a different route. Instead 24... Qc7! retains Black's advantage, as if 25.Ne2? Bxf2 26.Nc3 Be3. 25.Ne2! h6 26.Nc3 Rf4
Better was admitting his earlier error and retreating to the back rank where the rook could be switched to the b-file. Here it continues to get in the bishops' way and fails to defend a4, which is unnecessary anyway. e.g. 26... Re8 27 Nxa4? (27.Qxa4? c5 28.Qb3 d4 and the pawns get rolling) 27... Qg6 28.g3 Qf6 29.Rd3 Bxh3 winning back the pawn with advantage. 27.Ne1 Qf6 28.Qa7 Qd8 29.Nd3 Rc4 30.Nxa4 Bf5 31.b3!? Bxd3!?
Black is provoked into an exchange sacrifice that sharpens the game. After 31... Re4 Black's bishops and attacking chances still balance White's extra pawn. 32.bxc4! Bxc4!?
Black might have recouped his sacrifice by 32... Bf4! 33.cxd3 dxc4 34.d4! Qg5 35.Qa8+ Kh7 36.Qxc6 Bxd2+ 37 Kc2 and draw after 37... Qf5+! 38.Kxd2 Qd3+ 39. Kc1 Qxa3+ with perpetual check, as 40.Nb2 c3 also draws. 33.g3 Ba5 34.Rd1 Bb5 35.Qd4 Qd6 36.Qc5! Qd8
Or 36... Bc7!? 37.Qxd6 Bxd6 38.Nc3 Bxa3+ 39.Kb1! (39.Kd2 Bb4 draws) and White's extra material gives him the edge in the endgame. 37.Nc3 Qf6?
White's tenacious defence finally results in a Black slip, allowing White to break up his central pawns. After 37... Bb6 38.Qb4 Bc4 the game is still dynamically balanced. 38.a4! Bxc3 39.axb5 Ba5
No better is 39... cxb5 40.Qxd5 b4 41.Qd8+ exchanging queens with an easy win. 40.Kb1 Qf3 41.Rd3 Qh1+ 42.Kb2 cxb5 43.Qc8+ Kh7 44.Qf5+ Kg8 45.Re3!
The combined rook and queen assault on the black king is immediately decisive. 45... f6 46.Qd7 Kh7 47.Re7 Bc3+ 48.Kxc3 Qa1+ 49.Kd2 Qd4+ 50.Ke2 Qc4+ 51.Kf3 Kh8 52.Re8+ Resigns
Australian Championship to Illingworth
Problem: Black to play and mate in two.
The 2014 Australian Championship was held in Melbourne at the start of the year. Top seed was the invited Russian GM, Vasily Papin, one of four non-Australians allowed to enter. After an extremely close contest over the eleven rounds, Sydney International Master Max Illingworth emerged as the outright winner on 8/11. Illingworth's play was characterised by seeking unbalanced positions and a belief in his ability to outplay his opponents. This uncompromising approach suffered two setbacks in the early rounds, but enabled a run of 5½/6 to finish the tournament, including a win over Papin.
Today's game is Illingworth playing White against the defending champion, IM Bobby Cheng of Melbourne, from the eighth round of the Championship.
1.d4 e6
2.e4 d5
3.Nd2 c5
4.exd5 exd5
5.Bb5+ Nc6
6.Qe2+ Be7
7.dxc5
In this line of the French Defence Tarrasch, White plays to hold the pawn on c5 for a while, mainly to force Black to spend time recovering the pawn.
7... Nf6
8.Nb3 O-O
9.Be3 a6
10.Bxc6?!
This exchange only seems to strengthen Black's centre. 10. Ba4 retains the bishop pair, though Black gains active play in return for his pawn minus.
10... bxc6
11.Nf3 a5
12.O-O-O
Allowing Black to recover c5 easily, but trying to hold the pawn by 12.Nbd4 Qc7 13.Bg5 Ne4! 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 is futile, since 15.Nxc6? Qxc5 16 Nce5 Ba6 leads to serious problems. The possibility of 12.O-O? Ba6 enabled by the bishop exchange on move 10 forces the white king to the less desirable queenside.
12... a4
13.Nbd4 Qc7
14.Bg5 Bxc5
15.Bxf6 Qf4+
16.Qd2 Qxf6
17.Qc3 Qd6
18.a3 Bg4
19.Rd2 Rfe8
20.h3 Bd7
Black's advantage of two bishops and a mobile pawn centre should eventually result in a powerful attack on the white king position, once the bishops sort themselves out.
21.Re1 Bb6
22.Rxe8+ Rxe8
23.Qd3 Re4?!
Black starts to drift, as the rook is not effective on the 4th rank. A powerful alternative was the multipurpose 23... Qf6! controlling f5, removing potential pins down the d-file and introducing the latent threat of … Bxh3 if the knight on f3 is left undefended. E.g. 24. Qa6 Bxd4 25. Rxd4 (25.Nxd4? Re1+ 26.Rd1 Qf4+) 25... Bxh3! 26.gxh3 Qxf3 with advantage, or 24.c3 c5 25.Nc2 Bc6 and the hanging pawns become very strong. White misses the best reply which is 24.Nb5! Qf6 (24... cxb5? 25.Qxe4!) 25.Nc3 utilising the d-file pin to reposition the knight on the key c3 square attacking a4, d5 and e4.
24.Qa6 Bc7
Allowing the knight maneouvre to c3 via a different route. Instead 24... Qc7! retains Black's advantage, as if 25.Ne2? Bxf2 26.Nc3 Be3.
25.Ne2! h6
26.Nc3 Rf4
Better was admitting his earlier error and retreating to the back rank where the rook could be switched to the b-file. Here it continues to get in the bishops' way and fails to defend a4, which is unnecessary anyway. e.g. 26... Re8 27 Nxa4? (27.Qxa4? c5 28.Qb3 d4 and the pawns get rolling) 27... Qg6 28.g3 Qf6 29.Rd3 Bxh3 winning back the pawn with advantage.
27.Ne1 Qf6
28.Qa7 Qd8
29.Nd3 Rc4
30.Nxa4 Bf5
31.b3!? Bxd3!?
Black is provoked into an exchange sacrifice that sharpens the game. After 31... Re4 Black's bishops and attacking chances still balance White's extra pawn.
32.bxc4! Bxc4!?
Black might have recouped his sacrifice by 32... Bf4! 33.cxd3 dxc4 34.d4! Qg5 35.Qa8+ Kh7 36.Qxc6 Bxd2+ 37 Kc2 and draw after 37... Qf5+! 38.Kxd2 Qd3+ 39. Kc1 Qxa3+ with perpetual check, as 40.Nb2 c3 also draws.
33.g3 Ba5
34.Rd1 Bb5
35.Qd4 Qd6
36.Qc5! Qd8
Or 36... Bc7!? 37.Qxd6 Bxd6 38.Nc3 Bxa3+ 39.Kb1! (39.Kd2 Bb4 draws) and White's extra material gives him the edge in the endgame.
37.Nc3 Qf6?
White's tenacious defence finally results in a Black slip, allowing White to break up his central pawns. After 37... Bb6 38.Qb4 Bc4 the game is still dynamically balanced.
38.a4! Bxc3
39.axb5 Ba5
No better is 39... cxb5 40.Qxd5 b4 41.Qd8+ exchanging queens with an easy win.
40.Kb1 Qf3
41.Rd3 Qh1+
42.Kb2 cxb5
43.Qc8+ Kh7
44.Qf5+ Kg8
45.Re3!
The combined rook and queen assault on the black king is immediately decisive.
45... f6
46.Qd7 Kh7
47.Re7 Bc3+
48.Kxc3 Qa1+
49.Kd2 Qd4+
50.Ke2 Qc4+
51.Kf3 Kh8
52.Re8+ Resigns
1-0
Solution: 1... e5+! 2. dxe5 Rg4#.